Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz & Chris Crabtree

From Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree comes an epic and inspiring novel—based on true events—about love, heroism, and resilience during the darkest chapters of World War II.

Sam Carlson is a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, where fantasies unspool in glorious black and white—for him and for his sweetheart, college-bound math whiz Sarah Haber. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines and captured as a POW. Brutalized but unbroken by the Bataan Death March and POW camps, Sam is one of 1,800 starved and weakened prisoners herded into the cargo hold of a barbaric hell ship called the Arisan Maru, his survival doubtful.

Determined to use her math skills on the home front, Sarah is recruited to Washington, DC, into the covert field of code breaking. When Sarah intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, the US Navy’s mission is sink the Arisan Maru and send it to the bottom of the South China Sea. Now, the lives of the two young lovers are about to inadvertently collide in one of the most shocking acts of World War II.

Anchored in an extraordinary true story and breathlessly recreated, Hold Strong is a one-of-a-kind novel that explores faith, courage, survival, and coming home against insurmountable odds.

Kindle Edition, 543 pages

Expected publication January 28, 2025

 by Lake Union Publishing

4.5/5 stars

Coming out in January Robert Dugoni has a new book that is also written by Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, authors I am unfamiliar with. A departure from his usual courtroom drama books that I have read in the past Hold Strong takes place before, during and after the war.

Beginning in a small town in Minnesota, high school sweethearts, Sam and Sarah's lives changes when Sam enlists and Sarah goes off to college. What follows is a gritty story, especially for Sam as a Japanese POW.   I already knew that that is almost a death sentence and for some that survived wish that it had been. It is vivid, descriptive and heartbreaking, to the point that I put the book down for a few days.

For Sarah back home she is getting involved in the war effort herself.

This was a well written story that was rich in history to the point that the author notes were very descriptive in telling where they got their information to make this a story as authentic as possible. Hold Strong is a story of perseverance, survival and heartache.  I loved the conclusion, it just felt authentic.

Hold Strong is still a story I think about a month have finishing, it emotional and gripping.  You can find it on shelves the end of January.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano

From New York Times bestselling author Elle Cosimano, comes Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank—a hilarious short story diving into Finlay Donovan's partner-in-crime Vero's past.

Anyone can spot a window of opportunity, but not everyone can manage to fall straight through one.

Veronica Ruiz is on the run for the first time in her life—though certainly not the last. After being falsely accused of stealing money from her college sorority, she packs up and heads to her cousin Ramón's apartment, planning to change her name and rebuild start over away from backstabbing girls and university drama (and far, far away from her arrest warrant in Maryland).

At the local bank on the first morning of her new life, it occurs to Vero that she'd be a better bank teller than most of the current employees: she may not have much money, but what little she does have, she knows how to manage. Unfortunately, the only available position is a cleaning job and so, desperate for a fresh start, she takes the bank manager’s offer.

But nothing in Vero's world has ever been simple, so of course shortly after she begins work, she overhears a conversation between her new boss and a security guard: someone who works there has been stealing. Seeing a window of opportunity, Vero sets out to find the identity of the thief, present the evidence, and then push for the perfect job. All of which would be easier if her irresistibly infuriating childhood crush Javi wasn’t living in the same damn town.

Offering the insight that listeners have been craving into fan-favorite Vero's past and a closer look at the moment Finlay and Vero first meet, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a can't-miss addition to the Finlay Donovan series.

Audiobook, 2 hours, 27 minutes

Published November 7, 2023

 by Macmillan Audio

3.5/5 stars

This is book 3.5 in the Finlay Donovan series. a novella/short story coming in just over 125 pages or 2 hours 27 minutes audio, which is the route I went.

My only disappointment with this book started with a different reader than the rest of the series. Maybe I was just used to her voice and can't handle the change, but suffice to say the other is spot on for Vero's voice.

The previous three books in the series hint at something that happened in Vero‘s past and here we finally get the story of what took place. It was a short listen/read, but gave insight into more of her character and what she is running from. It also offers more insight into how Finlay and Vero first meet.  Not required reading for this series but a fun break.

I obtained the audiobook via CloudLibrary

Back to Bainbridge by Norah Lally

Welcome to Bainbridge Avenue, where fourteen-year-old Vicki’s life takes a bumpy turn. She’s got a lot on her plate—sharing a cramped room with her siblings, worrying about her mom who can’t catch a break, and dreaming about a dad who’s nowhere to be found.

But things start to change when Vicki meets Rosa from Apartment 1A, who introduces her to the building’s basement, a hidden world full of forgotten stories and secrets waiting to be uncovered.

As Vicki sets out beyond her neighborhood, searching for her place in the world, she wonders if the imperfect family and friends she has on Bainbridge Avenue might just be the treasures she's been looking for all along. Join her on a journey of hope, heartache, and unexpected discoveries in Back to Bainbridge.

Kindle Edition, 134 pages

Expected publication December 10, 2024

 by Abbey Glen Press

4.5/5 stars

When Vicki’s family is forced to move in with her grandmother it turns into a very crowded apartment. Aside from grandma there is also her brother, sister and mother.

Vicki is 14 years old for, for me this bordered on the line between middle grade and YA, which isn’t a bad thing. This is a story of her family. It's also a story of friendship as Vicki makes friends with Rosa and James, 2 teens would live in the same building. 

I felt this book was well written, it flowed nicely with interesting characters, secrets, as well as dealing with past hurts. There was growth and not just for Vicki.  It's a short book, some might say you need more time for some depth but for me this length worked nicely.

My thanks to BooksGoSocial for a digital arc in exchange for honest review.

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

She has his dead wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. The author of The Family Plot brings her signature prose to a twisty novel about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband.

Rosie Lachlan wants nothing more than to find The One.

A year after she was dumped in her wedding dress, she’s working at her parents’ bridal salon, anxious for a happy ending that can’t come soon enough. After receiving a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie knows her health is precious and precarious. She suspects her heart donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, who she begins messaging via an anonymous service called DonorConnect, ostensibly to learn more about Daphne. But Rosie has a secret: She’s convinced that now that she has his wife’s heart, she and Morgan are meant to be together.

As she and Morgan correspond, the pretense of avoiding personal details soon disappears, even if Rosie’s keeping some cards close to her chest. But as she digs deeper into Morgan’s previous marriage, she discovers disturbing rumors about the man she’s falling for. Could Morgan have had something to do with his late wife’s death? And can Rosie’s heart sustain another break—or is she next?

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Expected publication January 14, 2025 

by Atria Books

2.5/5 stars

Ever feel like you have read a completely different book than everyone else?  That's how I felt with Cross My Heart.

I grabbed this book because the story revolved around someone who had a recent heart transplant. Organ transplants is something I am somewhat familiar with, so I was intrigued to see how this would play out.

<sigh> The long and short is that I wasn't a huge fan, so I'll just make a list.

Pros

-It started off good

-Authentic portrayal of an organ transplant recipient. It showcases life with anti-rejection drugs, feeling unwell and the adjustment to the body especially during that first year.  There is more in the cons.

-A couple of twists that I didn't see coming

-I was genuinely curious about the ending.

Cons

-Length of chapters.  They were just too long and discouraged me from reading at times.

-Plot a little farfetched

-Too many cringeworthy scenes

-The Danish pastries! How many Danishes should a heart recipient eat?  None or close to, especially as a meal.

-While I enjoy listening to Taylor Swift, apparently the author is a super fan.

-Couldn't get into the male leads email writing style, unrealistic.

-Unresolved issues

All said and done I was genuinely interested in what happened, so that’s kept me reading.  For that I rounded up to 3 stars.

Thank you to Atria Books for a digital arc in exchange for honest review.

A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison

From New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes a taut thriller about one author at the pinnacle of her career, whose past threatens to destroy everything she has—and everyone she knows.

A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder.

With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she’s lying dead in a pool of blood.

Columbia’s death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on—at first. But then details emerge, pointing to the author’s illicit past. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won’t stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out?

Kindle Edition, 446 pages

Published November 1, 2024

 by Thomas & Mercer

3.5/5 stars

I know there is a lot of controversy these days about prologues. For me I enjoy them, it is a great spot for the author to grab my attention and invest my interest in their story. And I wish that was the case here with A Very Bad Thing, the prologue was just too long and repetitive, which was not a great first impression.

A Very Bad Thing is the story of an author who is found dead at the conclusion of a month-long book tour. I am all things bookish when it comes to reading, so I was looking forward to this, especially after reading some of the rave reviews. This is a hard review for me to write as I have mixed feelings. 

So lets just make a list

Pros - abundance of red herrings that kept me guessing

         - a story within a story

         - short chapters, that go by fast (don't let the 446 page count intimate you)

Cons - the slow pace

         - the number of characters, thankfully the chapters heading told which POV was being told
          - didn't feel some of the deaths were necessary

          - the ending was okay, though a certain aspect is something that I expected.

All in all an ok read that just fell flat for me, it didn't have the suspense unputdownable feel that I love in this genre.  This is my first time reading this author, I will give him another try.

My digital copy was obtained through Amazon First Reads (October).

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano

Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she's a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had "borrowed" in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.

Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizen's police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob's clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood.

Audiobook, 9 hours, 45 minutes

Published January 31, 2023

 by Macmillan Audio

3/5 stars

The 3rd book in this series was another audio read for me, so far I’ve read the whole series this way and with the accents and personality of the reader it was very nicely done.

So here we are again with Finlay and her nanny/partner in crime Vero where they get themselves caught in another hot mess. Continuing right where book 2 left off the Russian mob is still on Finlay‘s back and Nick the cop gets more time on the pages.  I loved the first book in this series but I find each consecutive one just becomes a bit more outlandish, convoluted, but it still has that fun vibe, even though it does deal with some serious subject matter.  I laughed at some of the antics and rolled my eyes at others.

The setting mostly took place at a Citizens Police Academy, which didn’t totally work, but still an entertaining read. It also paves the way for book 4, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (review coming soon).

My audiobook copy was obtained through CloudLibrary.

From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley & Riley Keough

Born to an American myth and raised in the wilds of Graceland, Lisa Marie Presley tells her whole story for the first time in this raw, riveting, one-of-a-kind memoir faithfully completed by her daughter, Riley Keough.

In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter to help finally finish her long-gestating memoir.

A month later, Lisa Marie was dead, and the world would never know her story in her own words, never know the passionate, joyful, caring, and complicated woman that Riley loved and now grieved.

Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, lay in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, about being upstairs, just the two of them. About getting dragged screaming out of the bathroom as she ran toward his body on the floor. About living in Los Angeles with her mother, getting sent to school after school, always kicked out, always in trouble. About her singular, lifelong relationship with Danny Keough, about being married to Michael Jackson, what they had in common. About motherhood. About deep addiction. About ever-present grief. Riley knew she had to fulfill her mother’s wish to reveal these memories, incandescent and painful, to the world.

To make her mother known.

This extraordinary book is written in both Lisa Marie’s and Riley’s voices, a mother and daughter communicating—from this world to the one beyond—as they try to heal each other. Profoundly moving and deeply revealing, From Here to the Great Unknown is a book like no other—the last words of the only child of an American icon.

Audible Audio, 5 hours, 42 minutes

Published October 8, 2024

 by Random House Audio

4/5 stars

Though celebrity stories are really not my thing I was intrigued about Lisa Marie Presley‘s story which released last month. It’s not a long book, the audio coming in at about 5 1/2 hours or 304 pages.  I went the audio route, but I am sure that the print copy would also include photos.

Told from Lisa Marie‘s point of view, she had begun this process before she passed away suddenly, and the audio includes excerpts of her recorded interviews. Other than that, Julie Roberts told her story along with Riley Keough, Lisa Marie's eldest daughter.

This is one of those audios that I found hard to listen to as she described her life at Graceland, the death of her father when she was quite young, the relationship with her mother, and then growing up with her addictions and grief.  A very open and honest look at Lisa Marie‘s life that evoked a lot of emotions. Sad for her upbringing without guidance that left her handling her grief on her own. How she married four times and still seemed like she was searching.

I knew very little about Lisa Marie’s life before reading this book and it has opened my eyes to her struggles.

My audio was obtained through my Spotify account

Spotlight: A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson

 

The fate of a cursed nation depends on a princess who must outwit a mortal enemy and outlast the trials of a death-defying ritual in a thrilling adventure by USA Today bestselling author Sariah Wilson.

Lia is the princess of Locris, a dying desert nation cursed centuries ago by an earth goddess―one still worshipped by the thriving and adversarial nation of Ilion. Every year, Ilion offers the goddess a sacrifice: two Locrian maidens forced to compete in a life-and-death race to reach her temple. In a millennium, no maiden has made it out of Ilion alive. This year, Lia is one of the hunted.

An education in battle gives her a fighting chance, but the challenges are greater than she feared: Lia’s beloved but untrained sister Quynh has been put in the path of danger. The winding streets of Ilion itself have been transformed into a labyrinthine maze of countless choices and dead ends. And if the risks weren’t significant enough, Lia is reluctantly drawn to the commandingly attractive Jason, an Ilionian sailor she loathes to trust and desires like no man before.

The tribute game is on. It’s up to Lia to lift the goddess’s curse, restore Locris to its former glory, and change the fate of every young woman destined to follow in her path.

527 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2024

by Montlake

About the author:

Sariah Wilson is the USA Today bestselling author of over two dozen contemporary romance and romantic fantasy novels, including A Tribute of Fire, The Chemistry of Love and Roommaid. 

She happens to be madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. She currently lives with her family and various pets in Utah, and harbors a lifelong devotion to ice cream. 

For more information, visit her at www.sariahwilson.com.